Drumady
Drumady is a townland in South-East County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland.
Area 68:2:2
Etymology
Ir. An Droim Fhada ‘the long ridge’
- lisdromady - Escheated Counties Map (1609)
- Dromaddy - Reg. Freeholders Fermanagh 7 (1766)
Griffiths Valuation 1862
| Occupier | Lessor | Tenement |
|---|---|---|
| James Johnston | Earl of Erne | House, Offices & Land |
| James Beatty | Earl of Erne | House, Offices & Land |
| Francis Foster | Earl of Erne | House, Offices & Land |
| (J Johnston, J Beatty, F Foster) | Earl of Erne | Land |
1901 Census
| Head of Family | Landholder (if different) |
|---|---|
| Jane Beatty | |
| Margaret Johnston | Jane Beatty |
| Frank Foster |
Surnames in 2005
- Johnston
- Wilson
- Kelly
Former Residents:
- McCleery
- Hawthorne
- McClelland
Education
The Commissioners of Irish Education Inquiry 1826 recorded a school in Drumady. It was a thatched building with 60 or 70 children. Apparently, both Roman Catholic and Protestant churches were asked to give total numbers and the religious divide. Very seldom did their figures agree. The teacher was a Mr Joseph Thompson, a Protestant, whose pay was £13 annually. By 1850 this school had disappeared from education records. Lacky Orange Hall now occupies this site on the edge of both townlands. Actually the map of Shannock townland shows the school on the place where Shannock, Drumady and Lacky meet. When the old road was in existence it turned in past the back of the school. During renovations to this building, evidence of there having been two buildings was discovered, possibly a teacher’s residence as part of the school.
Drumady Shop
A short distance from the hall there was a shop. This was first in the home of the McClelland family. After Mr Robert Wilson purchased that farm, one of the Clones merchants, David Somerville, rented some outbuildings to carry on the shop. The house was taken over by a family named Hawthorne. Mr Somerville did not approve of the sale of tobacco so the tobacco sales continued from the house. A man named John Maguire was employed to run the shop. After some time, he decided business was good so he opened at shop on his own near Lacky Bridge. After Somerville the business was taken over by Mr Norman Boles who had worked in Johnston’s of Newtownbutler. When Jean Wilson left school she started work in the shop. After some years, Boles sold out to Messrs McConkey & Coulter who had taken over a business in Magheraveeley. They eventually decided to concentrate on the Magheraveeley business. Jean’s father decided that since Jean knew the business he would encourage her to continue on her own. All went well for a few years but then increasing use of cars brought people to town and the lure of the supermarket so the days of the country shop were numbered. Finally Jean closed and turned her skill to a nursery garden and florist business which is both successful and a lovely sight in summer.